Transporter star "heir to seagal-van damme throne"

[aikidoboynj]

Like I felt in another post, once more I feel as Jason Statham is the next bankable action star...In my eyes in an action movie world were Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are considered action heros- Jason is a breathe of fresh asskicking air.
Sorry Rock- Stop trying so hard to be funny
Vin Diesel- Stop trying so hard to be funny too.

Check out this Article...
"Statham has truly stepped up to fill the shoes once worn by Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and, yes, even the legendary Bruce Lee."

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/movies/cgi/moviescreener_long.cgi?id=2232

 

[Littledragon]

Like I felt in another post, once more I feel as Jason Statham is the next bankable action star...In my eyes in an action movie world were Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are considered action heros- Jason is a breathe of fresh asskicking air.
Sorry Rock- Stop trying so hard to be funny
Vin Diesel- Stop trying so hard to be funny too.

Check out this Article...
"Statham has truly stepped up to fill the shoes once worn by Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and, yes, even the legendary Bruce Lee."
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/movies/cgi/moviescreener_long.cgi?id=2232

You have got to be joking me man, Jason doesn't even do Martial Arts, just studied them for the film. He sucks.

 

[aikidoboynj]

Action hero not martial arts action hero.

 

[Littledragon]

Action hero not martial arts action hero.

Then why does it say he will fill the shoes of Seagal and Bruce Lee?

 

[Nick]

Isn't Tony Jaa the star of Ong Bak and another upcoming movie the one taking the whole world by storm? He is already being praised as being better than Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Bruce Lee. Doesn't mean I agree with these ignorant comments but he is the future in my opinion. He just needs to find his own style. He tried to go for that clownish style of Jackie Chan and failed. And he wasn't quite as dramatic or fierce as Jet Li. And Bruce Lee is one and only. But he is very talented no debate there. As far as Jason I don't see him making these sort of mindless films all the time. He is re-teaming with Guy Ritchie for Revolver which should be a great film.

 

[Littledragon]

Isn't Tony Jaa the star of Ong Bak and another upcoming movie the one taking the whole world by storm? He is already being praised as being better than Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Bruce Lee. Doesn't mean I agree with these ignorant comments but he is the future in my opinion. He just needs to find his own style. He tried to go for that clownish style of Jackie Chan and failed. And he wasn't quite as dramatic or fierce as Jet Li. And Bruce Lee is one and only. But he is very talented no debate there. As far as Jason I don't see him making these sort of mindless films all the time. He is re-teaming with Guy Ritchie for Revolver which should be a great film.

As of right now, we have NO ONE that is going to be the next big Martial Arts star that has a totaly unique style and character on the screen.

 

[shihonage]

Jason Statham is an Olympic diver who can do splits. His martial arts never looked half-convincing to me. It's all choreographed wire-fu and he has the heavy-handedness of a bar brawler instead of precision, lightness and focus of someone actually skilled in martial arts (and that would include boxing - he played someone involved in boxing but he doesn't move like someone with boxing experience).

Don't get me wrong - he is an excellent athlete, just a mediocre "martial arts actor".

 

[aikidoboynj]

I do not agree that he is a heavy handedness bar brawler...He did most of the stunts in that and I doubt alot of it would have been possible...Ong Bak is way small looking in my eyes-sorry hes just not believable in my eyes.

You guys gotta realize...That there are no big martial arts action hero's anymore, they aren't as in demand as they were... So either you can have guys like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, or you can have a guy like Jason Statham...You decide.

I almost forgot....JCVD is not the europeon karate champ or what ever he claims he was...he also was just someone that could do a split probably better than Bruce Lee himself, So don't knock Jason's when Van Damme was not the martial arts megastar he was always portrayed as. I can't stand pretty boys like Damon and company doing martial arts...If Jason did a more realistic movie with less crazy choreography it would be a whole different...and better story.

Bringing up boxing, yes there are a handful of boxers that are so light on there feet they almost glide. But alot of succesful boxers are not such dancers, alot of them are just bad asses with a ton of heart, a granite chin and a unforgiving right/left, like IMO the greatest Rocky Marciano...(Frazier, Foreman, are just two names that quickly come into my mind)

Above all that going back to topic- Jason looks the part hes no pretty boy with plucked eyebrows and what not, and the guy can actually act not that its important in the action genre it is a welcome plus in my eyes. Yeah Nick I know he won't just be doing mindless action flicks, but I'm happy that there is finally someone who has that stare, attitude, and suave confidence that it takes to make an action piece believable....(Seagal used to have that before 1992)

 

[shihonage]

Van Damme's martial arts are about as realistic as Disney's "Aladdin", but I liked TimeCop and Universal Soldier
I actually see him as a sort of a decent actor.
Same goes for Stallone. Have you seen "In Hell" (Van Damme) or "Copland" (Stallone) ? Those guys can actually have some dramatic depth ! And they get (or used to get) some good scripts !

Besides, no matter how unrealistic his martial arts are, he didn't use wires, quick cutting, and CGI. Nowadays everyone uses that crap, including John Statham.
I miss the good old times.

Ong Bak was a good promise but I basically fastforwarded through the movie to all the fight sequences because the storyline/acting was crap and I didn't care about anyone or anything in that movie.

First Transporter was a confused mishmash of flashy crap, and judging by reviews the second movie is the same. I have the same reaction toward these films as I do toward Brosnan's last Bond films... all full of glitz, nothing makes sense, and everything defies laws of physics and common sense.
As long as Statham keeps choosing movies where the physical laws of the universe keep changing according to the scriptwriters whim, he will always look cheesy to me.

 

[Nick]

Jean Claude Van Damme is an Actor in my eyes. Why? Well his Ringo Lam trilogy should have proved that to everyone. Maximum Risk, Replicant, and In Hell especially all proved that beyond any doubt. But his most dramatic and powerful acting performance lays with Legionnaire. And while his newer film Wake of Death disappointed me with the lacking and short fight sequences the acting was great. I have seen and own almost every film he has made. He is an older legend in my book alongside Chuck Norris, and Seagal.

Stallone did a fine job as Rocky in my opinion. He might be a brute but I would never underestimate him. He wrote the Script in three days and it was an Oscar Film. Script was very strong and praised too. And this is the same individual who is believed to have starred in porn films before he broke through. Only a rumor through. He wrote some other films but as far as further acting achievements Cop Land is a stand out. Alongside some other great Actors. I have yet to see F.I.S.T which seems very good.

As far as the Action Genre it's so rapidly changing who knows. Perhaps we shall see some new brutally realistic fighters turned actors in the future who will remind of us of why we go see action films.

 

[aikidoboynj]

Rocky is one of my all time favorites. Stallone is the man no doubt about it, he like the rest have just made some poor choices in movies...JUDGE DREDD, STOP OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT...but who hasn't.

 

[GlimmerMan]

Jason Statham is a cool guy and I kinda like his rough fighting style. However, he is skilled in martial arts and was practising them way before the first Transporter movie (which, incidentally, I thought was pretty cool). He ain't a bad actor either and is pretty cool in Snatch.

 

[GlimmerMan]

Rocky is one of my all time favorites. Stallone is the man no doubt about it, he like the rest have just made some poor choices in movies...JUDGE DREDD, STOP OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT...but who hasn't.

Dude - I read today that Mr. T is reprising his role as Clubber Lang in Rocky VI! Hahahaha! I pity the fool who crosses T!

"My prediction for this fight? Pain!"

 

[Littledragon]

Jason Statham is an Olympic diver who can do splits. His martial arts never looked half-convincing to me. It's all choreographed wire-fu and he has the heavy-handedness of a bar brawler instead of precision, lightness and focus of someone actually skilled in martial arts (and that would include boxing - he played someone involved in boxing but he doesn't move like someone with boxing experience).

Don't get me wrong - he is an excellent athlete, just a mediocre "martial arts actor".

Ok?.. What does that have to do with studying the Martial Arts?

 

[shihonage]

Nothing ! That was exactly my point. Before he was in "Transporter", he starred in "The One", and I recall in a special features interview him admitting that he didn't know martial arts.

I suspect he started martial art study directly after "The One" (after he got a bit jealous of Jet Li ). That gave him one year before the first "Transporter". His very good athleticism and flexibility are self-evident but the focus, precision of an experienced martial artist just isn't there. I don't care whether his skill is real or choreographed, this is a movie after all, but he's nowhere near Seagal or Jet Li on the movie screen.

 

[aikidoboynj]

I think Jet Li is no where near him, I have seen movies all dubbed to movies in america...And honestly I can't find one redeeming quality about the guy, when he tryes to act tough i just dont see it, and his fights are even more wire fu choreographed or just plain fake(old days) than even the ludicris fights in Transporter 1 and 2. Glimmer I too have also read that he has trained in the martial arts as well...Trust me this guy has a helluva better future in action movies or dramas, comedies you name it...Do Jet's movies even turn a profit. Seagal was absent for like 5 years before he came back with the almost Romeo Must Die Identical Exit Wounds both with DMX's name and Seagal still blew him out of the water...How long has Jet Li been making movies...FOREVER how long has Statham been making movies? Stathams movies bring in a bigger crowd already that right there tells you something. If Statham is compared to a wire fu karate master, than Jet Li is practically the wire fu KING OF PANCRASE!!! Cmon now dude lol

 

[aikidoboynj]

Dude - I read today that Mr. T is reprising his role as Clubber Lang in Rocky VI! Hahahaha! I pity the fool who crosses T!

"My prediction for this fight? Pain!"

I just love Balboa so much that I'd love to go see that movie...the way I see it anything he does even as old as he is now will be better then Rocky 5 right? LOL

 

[ORANGATUANG]

No comment....

 

[Mason]

Jason Statham is an okay cool dude.. but he will never be an Seagal or Van Damme .. but he is deffenetly an better actor than those two put togheter.

 

[Nick]

You have to be rational. Jet Li only broke in to America when? In 1998 with a tedious little cash whor* film entitled Lethal Weapon 4. He impressed American with it through. With Romeo Must Die continued to impress audiences. I am too lazy to check how much money Kiss of the Dragon and Cradle to the Grave made but I admit he started to loose most interest. Unleashed was spectacular through. Luc Besson made a thoughtful movie. When he wants to he can. When he just wants a mindless flick we get Transporter. As far as Jet Li's films not bringing millions in China well are you kidding me. Let's be serious. Did you expect them to? You like Jason. You like these two films. But don't let it cloud your judgment. Jet Li's previous older films were made for less than a million dollars probably and it's a whole different issue there. Biggest hit Asia has ever seen in my opinion other than their Pop Star Films or Stephan Chow's Films is Infernal Affairs Trilogy. Which is a spectacular Trilogy. Continuing. I was never quite a Jet Li Fan. But Li is considered to be a real fighter. Jackie Chan is what you call a performer. Li attended real competitions and fought in real tournaments etc Jason isn't the future in my opinion simply because he probably won't bother to do another Film ala Transporter unless it's Transporter 3. He might continue to do Action Films but it might be in the vein of Italian Job or Snatch etc Its very simple. Actors want to try different things. Chuck Norris as much as I like him or Seagal or whoever they are all cardboard cut outs capable of one thing. They know one thing. And that is to make similar films etc That's what we always liked. Sure some of them might have developed in to Actors but they were Martial Artists beforehand. Jason isn't the type. Those true older school types are long gone. As far as Wire Fu comment. Well it takes a skill to make fighting on wires look good and there's also real fighting in there. You just have to learn to separate the two.

This discussion isn't pointless but no one seems to fully agree with anyone else. Like Mason just sad that Jason is a good Actor. I might say that's ludicrous. Maybe his new film Revolver might showcase some acting but so far I haven't seen any. And then I might retort his comment about Van Damme not being an Actor my asking him whether he has seen Legionnaire, The Replicant, and In Hell etc We will never agree.